Martinez so far more than good for Red Sox' lineup

BOSTON — Carl Crawford was never comfortable. Adrian Gonzalez complained there were too many games in prime time. Jack Clark was simply finished.

For all the successes the Red Sox have enjoyed in free agency over the years, there have been some notable failures.

Through his first 43 games with the club, there can be only one category for J.D. Martinez. The outfielder appears to represent money well spent for a team that hit the fewest home runs in the American [...]

Bill Koch

BOSTON — Carl Crawford was never comfortable. Adrian Gonzalez complained there were too many games in prime time. Jack Clark was simply finished.

For all the successes the Red Sox have enjoyed in free agency over the years, there have been some notable failures.

Through his first 43 games with the club, there can be only one category for J.D. Martinez. The outfielder appears to represent money well spent for a team that hit the fewest home runs in the American League in 2017. Martinez and the thump he provides from the cleanup spot had Boston leading the big leagues in a handful of major offensive categories entering Thursday night’s makeup game with the Orioles at Fenway Park.

“It’s baseball mostly every day, the whole day, for him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Between working on his swing and watching video and taking notes, it’s his passion.”

Martinez went deep for the seventh time in 14 games on Wednesday, a two-run shot to center in the bottom of the first inning that helped the Red Sox avoid a sweep against the Athletics. Then he another two-run homer in the first inning on Thursday against the Orioles. Heading into Thursday's game, he was second in the league in batting average (.344), third in slugging percentage (.644) and fourth in OPS (1.039) after signing a five-year, $110-million deal in late February, languishing on the market until after pitchers and catchers reported to Fort Myers. This occurred after a 45-homer season split between Detroit and Arizona, with the 30-year-old Martinez clearly the top bat available for all 30 clubs to claim.

“Think about his offseason, how weird it was,” Cora said. “It took a while. We’re talking about probably the best hitter on the free agent market, and it took a while.”

Martinez is one of seven Red Sox players to total at least 10 home runs and 50 hits through the first 40 games of a season. Only Manny Ramirez did so in his Red Sox debut season, eventually finishing with a 1.097 OPS in 2001 after leaving the Indians and signing an eight-year, $160-million deal. Others like Mo Vaughn, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx had settled in over multiple seasons with Boston before accomplishing the feat.

“The outside noise, it doesn’t bother him,” Cora said.

Martinez brought his composition book and iPad to the Red Sox and hasn’t skipped a beat, sharing his knowledge of opposing pitchers with teammates such as Mookie Betts and even altering some of their batting routines. Xander Bogaerts finds himself moving quickly to the on-deck circle, with Martinez sometimes unleashing his right-handed swing early in the count. Martinez is 12-for-18 and has ripped four of his 12 homers this season when attacking on the first pitch of an at-bat.

“He swings at the first pitch and gets a hit,” Bogaerts said. “I’ve got to be there earlier so I can get myself going and I can hit. There was a streak where he was swinging at the first pitch and just getting hits and bombs. It’s pretty amazing.”

Martinez has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games, racking up an OPS of 1.220 during that stretch. The 43 home runs he’s cracked since last year’s All-Star break tie Martinez with Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the most in the big leagues.

“Every day, it’s kind of searching for that feel, searching for the swing,” Martinez said during last weekend’s three-game series in Toronto. “The moment you think you have it all figured out, the game will humble you real quick. It’s one of those things where I’m always kind of just grinding.”

Those are exactly the sentiments you would expect from a player who was released by Houston prior to the 2014 season. Receiving votes for the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in two of the last three seasons doesn’t impress Martinez. That everyday fight for survival is one he still wages, contract and market size be damned.

“As we know, this is a passionate sports town,” Cora said. “They’re passionate about our organization, our team, and he fits right in.”

— bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25

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